Improvement in foundations for honey-combs



A. E. -M00ONNELL.

Foundation for Honey-Comb.

No.19 8,6 48. Patented Dec. 25,1877.

\Nl' 'plassis. INVCNTEIFL.

had/Zr cf 2 "6M 1 BY ATT'JHNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER E. MCOONNELL, OF NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA.

IMPROVEMENT IN FOUNDATIONS FOR HONEY-COMBS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 198,648, dated December 25, 1877; application filcd 2 October 25, 1877. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER E. MGCON- NELL, a resident of the city of New Orleans, parish of Orleans, and State of Louisiana, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Culture of Bees and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and correct description of the same, reference be ing had to the annexed drawing, making a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements whereby bees are enabled to economically and rapidly construct their combs.

The nature ofmy invention consists in preparing, as will be hereinafter mentioned, a number of thin strips of wax, and in securing the same, at certain distances apart, to the inner edges of the hanging frames of a beehive.

On the accompanying drawing, A represents an ordinary hanging frame, from the upper piece'of which is suspended any desired number of thin strips of wax, b, from which the comb is gradually worked, the bees first filling in-the interstices, as shown at c d, and continuing their work until all the material contained in the aforesaid strips is employed and the whole frame filled with comb.

The manner in which the strips of wax are prepared is as follows: A certain quantity of the said material is first reduced, by means of heat, to a liquid. Into this is next dipped a sheet of glass, with surfaces previously well oiled-or greased, so that the wax adhering thereto may be afterward removed without injury by simply immersing the same in cold water. The sheets of wax thus obtained are then out in any desired width, and secured, at requisite distances apart, to ribs constructed on the inner edge of the upper piece of the hanging frames, the securing being effected by laying the frames in a level position, so that the requisite number of strips may have one of their ends to rest on the inner rib of the frame, to which they are made to adhere by pouring a small quantity of melted wax upon the same, care being taken to lay across the aforesaid end a small strip of wood or other material, previous to the pouring of the melted wax, in order that" it may be held in proper place until cooled.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A bee-hive frame, A, provided with thin strips or sheets of wax, for the purpose specified.

Intestimonywhcreof I have hereunto signed my name.

A. E. MOOONNELL. 

